By Meladi Brewer

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — Commissioners approved a bid for review for the North Main Street Sidewalk Replacement Phase II. Commissioners Matt Aultman and Larry Holmes were present.

The one sealed bid for the Village of Palestine for the PY2022 CDBG Grant. Bids were expected to be received by June 11 at 1 p.m. to be read during the 1:30 p.m. meeting. The engineers estimate was $49,285, and only one bid out of five were received.

LJ DeWEESE Construction’s bid came in at $67,331, and the bid was accepted for review. This project is the third set of sidewalks the village has been working on completing. The fourth step will be coming up involving the 2024 CDBG plan.

An agreement between the Darke County Board of Commissioners and M&T Excavating, LLC was amended. The Village of Arcanum funding was corrected for the project. The total CDBG funding total was correct, but there was a $15,000 discrepancy on funding distribution. The original agreement had the village paying $252,944 with the CDBG funding coming in at $500,000 for a project total of $752,944. The amended agreement corrects the distribution by taking the $752,944 total and splitting it up with $485,000 coming from the Darke County Commissioners CDBG Funds and $267,944 is owed by the Village of Arcanum.

The commissioners received multiple advance backs for various grants. A total of $121,970 was received back into the General Fund for the 2022 Gettysburg Critical Infrastructure Grant, $375,000 was received back for the 2022 CDBG Economic Development Grant for Kings Command, $23,303 was received back for the 2022 FAA Terminal Construction Grant, and they also received $84,202 back for the 2022 FAA AIP Grant.

Fund advances for other projects were also approved. $10,606 for the 2023 Gettysburg School DEMO Grant to cover key funding consulting service bill for Gettysburg School DEMO and Salary/Benefit Reimbursement, and a total of $9,676 for the 2023 Warren Sunoco Grant to also cover key funding consulting services for Warren Sunoco Property in Union City, and Salary/ Benefit reimbursements were approved. The funds will advance back once revenue is received.

“One thing we don’t talk about much, we are allowed up to 10 percent allowance for administration fees out of any of these grants,” Aultman said.

He said typically the office and commissioners before the current ones try to only take about 5 percent.

“We try to maximize dollars on projects by doing that, but it helps aid in the salary of the ladies upstairs doing all the work,” Aultman said.

A fund advance for the 2022 CDBG Grant to cover the AIM Media Bill for “Notice to Bidders ad for the Village of Palestine North Sidewalk Project totaling $285 was also approved. A cost total of $150 was approved for David Hawes to participated in the recommended Restrictive Housing of Jail Inmates seminar meeting via Zoom at DCSO. The $150 total is to cover registration.

In a matter of an examination and allowance of bills, the commissioners have $16,798.69 in the General Fund, and $73,495.33 in the Outside General Fund. This makes a grand total of $90,294.02 being approved for payment.

The commissioners also approved transfer of appropriations for the Darke County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Solid Waste, and Commissioners. $1,320 was transferred for the DC BDD to cover permit fees for the HCBS ARPA grant project at the Darke County Fairgrounds, $45,000 was transferred to cover emergency cleanup after tornadoes for the DC Solid Waste, and The Darke County Commissioners transferred $25,000 to cover tornado damage expenses.

The commissioners office will not be hosting a Regular Session meeting on Thursday, June 13th at 1:30 p.m. due to two of the three commissioners being out of the office during that time. The next Commissioner meeting will be Tuesday, June 18, 2024.

The commissioners meet for their “Regular Session” meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. in the Administrative Building: 520 S Broadway Avenue. these meetings are open and welcome to the public.

To contact Daily Advocate Reporter Meladi Brewer, email [email protected].